Wedding Planner Salary – Now and Future

Wedding planners help couples prepare for and carry off one of the most important days of their lives. There are many details to manage, including the ceremony, venue, reception, dress and more. A wedding planning salary in the United States depends in part on experience and level of service. Certified wedding planners earn between $25,000 and $60,000 a year according to the Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants (ACPWC). Those numbers are similar to estimates from Payscale.com, which gives the annual wedding planner salary as $21,929 to $51,186. There are several factors that determine where a wedding planner’s income falls in that range.

Wedding planer salary variations

A wedding planner salary varies depending on your state or city. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes wedding planners in its reports on meeting, convention and event planners. The bureau reports that the states with the highest mean salary for event planners as of May 2010 were the District of Columbia, with an average of $61,400; New Jersey, $56,410; Massachusetts, $56,130; New York, $55,730; and Hawaii, $54,130. Since those are mean salaries, some wedding planners earn less and some earn more. The wedding planner salary also varied by city. Top-paying metropolitan areas were Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, N.Y., with a mean salary of $70,570, and Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford Mass./N.H., with a mean salary of $65,180.

Factors that may affect the wedding planner salary

A wedding planner salary can be affected by several factors in addition to where the professional works. Working part-time or full-time and working for someone else or being self-employed are some things that change how much a wedding planner makes. Some people launch a wedding planning venture as a second, part-time job, keeping another full-time job at least until their wedding business takes off. Working part-time will keep the income part-time as well. Whether a wedding planner works for herself or for someone else is a bit more complicated. Sometimes working for someone else can provide the security of a constant paycheck even during low client months. Eventually working for yourself can either lead to financial difficulty or a higher earnings potential, depending on whether the business grows and develops consistent monthly income. What kind of services a consultant provides is another factor that affects wedding planner salary. Services can include such basics as scoping out wedding reception facilities and negotiating contracts for the facility that meets the couple’s needs and budget to more advanced services such as researching honeymoon packages, booking flights and hotels, arranging for accommodations for wedding guests, shopping for token gifts and booking live music. Providing these higher level services will increase a wedding planning salary. Many planners offer a tier of services, with increasing fees for bigger packages. Another income factor is whether the planner is certified. There are several organizations that train and certify wedding planners. They include: the Association of Certified Wedding Consultants, the National Bridal Association, the Association of Bridal Consultants and June Wedding Inc. Wedding planners can also learn about event planning by earning two- or four-year degrees at colleges, which will boost wedding planning salary. A popular college degree for wedding planners is in hospitality, which covers event planning and many of the skills that help wedding experts run successful businesses. Also affecting wedding planner salary is that the consultant typically earns about 10 percent of the overall cost of the wedding. Therefore, targeting higher-cost weddings and clientele who can afford high-end venues, special music and gourmet fare will likely increase a wedding planning salary. And don’t forget networking; professionals who go above and beyond the typical wedding service will acquire a satisfied customer who will give good recommendations for future clients. Over time, a solid network of happy customers will ensure a strong wedding business.

What is the future for the wedding planner?

Wedding and other event planners can expect faster than average job growth in the future, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. In fact, the bureau said event planner employment is expected to grow 16 percent from 2008 to 2018. Given projected job growth, a wedding planner salary can be expected to increase as the wedding professional gains more experience, adds a higher level of service and takes on more clients. Those with certification are most likely to see wedding planner salary raises, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Typically, once a wedding planner has five to nine years of experience, her income reaches a higher level, according to Payscale.com. Given these considerations, the outlook for a wedding planning salary is good for planners willing to achieve certification, put years into their careers and provide exceptional service.